REFLECTING on last weekend’s results at the Semalease Kilguilkey House international, and with an eye on the immediate future, the one positive is the fact that New Zealand, Australia and Japan are not in Europe.

Having dominated the long-format classes, Antipodean riders filled the first three places in the Bretland Construction CCC4*-S. From a patriotic standpoint, Carlow’s Sam Watson thankfully stopped the Japanese taking the next three spots when, with two cross-country time penalties, he finished sixth on his own Irish Sport Horse gelding, Ballyneety Rocketman (39), a traditionally-bred nine-year-old Diamond Discovery gelding.